Ruling Alphas: Shifter Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  Faust shook his head.

  “That won’t be appropriate, Maxen, as you are no longer an active member of the royal guard,” Faust said.

  Max felt his heart sink. After everything, he was being cast aside, fired and removed from Ellery’s life.

  “Dad, no,” Ellery said. “I love Max. He’s my one true mate.”

  “I’m aware of that, Ellery,” Faust said, breaking into a smile. “And that’s why he’s no longer staff. He’s a member of our family now.”

  Epilogue

  Two Months Later

  Ellery was bursting with excitement as Max came into the house.

  “Sit down, I have something for you,” she said as Max came in.

  Max kissed her and smiled, sitting down where she pointed. Ellery bounced out of the room and came back with a parcel in her hands. She held it out to Max, who smiled quizzically and took it from her.

  “What’s this?” he said.

  “Open it and see,” Ellery grinned.

  Max ripped into the box and his jaw dropped when he saw the comic book he had coveted.

  “Oh my God, Ellery,” he said. “Thank you. But you really didn’t have to get me this.”

  “I know,” she said. “But I wanted to. Because I wanted you to be in a good mood for this.”

  “For what?” Max asked.

  “For when I tell you you’re going to be a father,” Ellery beamed.

  “You mean…?” Max said, trailing off.

  “Yup,” Ellery grinned, running a hand over stomach. “I’m pregnant, Max.”

  Max jumped up and pulled her into his arms, laughing with delight.

  “I didn’t think it was possible to get a better gift than the one you just gave me, but my God, you managed it,” he laughed.

  He kissed Ellery and she kissed him back, excited for the next chapter in their lives—life as a family of three.

  Warlock Prince

  1

  Jagger Michaels scanned the room as he walked into the bar. The bar was busy already despite it being fairly early. It was a local bar that was mostly frequented by shifters of one kind or another and it always seemed to get busy earlier than the other local bars.

  “What are you having?” Kevin, Jagger’s best friend, asked as they headed toward the bar.

  “I’ll be having a Bud, Kev, but this round is on me,” Jagger replied.

  “No way,” Kevin said, clapping Jagger on the shoulder and shaking his head. “We’re out to celebrate you receiving the enchantment. That means the drinks are on me. At least until you spot a likely candidate and then I’ll be making myself scarce.”

  Jagger laughed but he hoped that Kevin was right about him finding a likely candidate to be his one true mate tonight. Earlier that day, his father, Simeon, the high warlock, part of the ruling warlock and witch couple of the United States, had administered the potion to him—the potion that was given to the children of all of the ruling families on their twenty-ninth birthday. The potion ensured that they found their true mates, so when the time came for them to take over the pack or tribe, they were ready to do it as part of a ruling couple.

  Jagger was ready to find his one true mate. Or at least someone he could have some fun with until she came along. He had come to the bar tonight to celebrate reaching twenty-nine, the coming-of-age year for shifters, the age when they stopped physically aging, and he was also hopeful he would meet a hot little witch to take back to his place to help him celebrate. Maybe even to share his whole eternal life as his mate.

  As Kevin ordered drinks, Jagger kept looking around the bar to see if there was anyone he recognized. He didn’t spot anyone he knew, but a girl caught his eye. She had long black hair and pale skin that looked as smooth as porcelain, high cheek bones and plump red lips. As though the girl had felt Jagger’s eyes on her, she looked in his direction and smiled. His eyes held hers for a moment, relishing the deep blue color, and for a moment, he felt desire flooding through him.

  The girl looked away and Jagger told himself he should do the same, but he was having a hard time pulling his gaze away from her. He felt his heart beat faster in his chest when the girl stood up and began to head in his direction. She had a lovely figure—curvy hips and big breasts—and Jagger longed to touch her, to hold her in his arms and kiss her deeply.

  She ran her tongue over her lips suggestively as she came toward him. She smiled as she reached him.

  “You and your friend there should join us for a drink,” she said in a low, husky voice.

  She kept walking, going to the bar, and Jagger couldn’t stop himself from watching the way her hips swayed as she walked. He swallowed hard, swallowing back the moan that wanted to spring out of him as he imagined the girl in his arms, imagined himself kissing her, touching her, making love to her.

  Kevin came over with their drinks and got in the way of Jagger’s view of the girl. Kevin looked over his shoulder as Jagger shifted slightly to keep the girl in his line of sight. He saw who Jagger was looking at and he whistled quietly.

  “She’s cute,” he said.

  “Cute? Talk about an understatement. She’s absolutely fucking gorgeous,” Jagger said. “And she asked me if we wanted to join her and her friends for a drink.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Kevin grinned. He raised his eyebrows and wiggled them. “Looks like the enchantment is working.”

  Jagger laughed and shook his head, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Kevin could be right and the girl was meant to be his. Was it really that easy? The enchantment was meant to work by drawing the recipient to their one true mate, but could it really be that good that pretty much the first girl Jagger spoke to after receiving the enchantment was the one? He thought it was unlikely, but as he looked back over Kevin’s shoulder again at the girl at the bar, he sure hoped it was true.

  The girl was heading back toward them with a tray in her hand. The tray held four cocktails.

  “So? Are you joining us or not?” she asked.

  “Sure we are,” Jagger said. “Here, let me get that for you.”

  He took the tray from her and let her lead him to her table. She dragged a chair over and Kevin dragged another one over and the three of them sat down.

  “I’m Raven. And this is Aria, Lucile, and Ebony,” the girl said.

  Raven, Jagger thought. She couldn’t have a more perfect name with her long black hair. He wondered vaguely if she had been born with enough of that hair to influence her parents when they named her.

  “I’m Kevin,” Kevin said. “And my friend is Jagger.”

  They all greeted each other and began chatting. Jagger was finding it hard to follow the conversation as all he wanted to do was to be alone with Raven, to kiss her red lips, to run his hands down her gorgeous body, to fill her pussy with his cock. His whole body seemed to throb, strumming with desire whenever Raven spoke or laughed or glanced in his direction.

  After a few minutes, Kevin excused himself and left the table. He returned quickly, carrying a tray with shots of tequila for each of them.

  “To Jagger on his twenty-ninth birthday,” Kevin said.

  They all raised their glasses and wished Jagger a happy birthday. He smiled his thanks and downed his shot, his attention mostly focused on Raven as she swallowed down her shot and her throat moved.

  “So, the big one, huh?” Raven smiled at him. “Coming of age and all that.”

  “Yeah. I guess I’ll have to grow up now,” Jagger laughed.

  “And you’ll be on the lookout for your one true mate too, I take it,” Raven said.

  “You know who I am?” Jagger said, suddenly conscious of the fact that Raven could be playing him, trying to get close to him because of his status within his tribe.

  “Sure. I might not be a witch, but I’m not blind and deaf,” Raven smiled. “I still know warlock royalty when I see them.”

  Okay, Jagger thought to himself. So she’s not trying to get me to think she’s my one true mate or anything li
ke that if she’s not even a witch. The thought was a nice one, but it was also a bit disappointing to learn there was no hope for him and Raven. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t still have fun together tonight. Even when Jagger had seen Raven for the first time and wondered if she was meant to be his, he had questioned whether or not the enchantment could work that quickly. Now he supposed he had his answer.

  “Wolf?” Jagger said to Raven.

  “Huh?” she frowned.

  “Well, you said you’re not a witch, but you must be some sort of shifter to be hanging out here,” Jagger said.

  “Not exactly,” Raven smiled. “I’m a vampire.”

  “A vampire, huh?” Jagger smiled.

  “Yup. We’re all vampires,” Raven said, nodding around at her friends.

  Jagger smiled again. Raven couldn’t be his mate. He knew that now without any doubt. But he reminded himself once more that knowing Raven wasn’t his soul mate didn’t mean they couldn’t still have some fun together tonight. And judging by the way Raven was looking at him and flirting with him constantly, Jagger thought it seemed likely that she wanted the exact same thing.

  The next few hours passed by in a blur of drinks and laughter and flirting. Jagger was really starting to enjoy his birthday celebrations much more than he had expected to, and he thought that was mostly because of Raven.

  “Well, I guess I’m going to call it a night,” Kevin said. “I’ve got work early in the morning.”

  “Oh, don’t be boring,” Ebony said. “Have one more drink.”

  “I’m sorry, but I really have to split. Another time,” Kevin smiled.

  “It’s still early, you know, Kev,” Jagger said.

  “It’s after midnight,” Kevin pointed out.

  Jagger checked his watch and his eyes sprang open wide in surprise. He had had no idea that so much time had passed by. It felt like they’d barely been in the bar for a couple of hours and it turned out it had actually been over five hours since they’d entered the bar. I must be really having fun with Raven for me to have lost track of the time so completely, Jagger thought to himself with a smile.

  2

  “Raven?” Aria said. “We’re thinking about moving on to a club or something. Are you up for it?”

  Raven Zayne smiled and shook her head slightly.

  “If it’s all the same to you guys, I think I might stick around here and see how things pan out with Jagger,” Raven said.

  “I knew you were into him,” Aria said. “But isn’t he a warlock?”

  “Sure,” Raven shrugged. “But it’s not like I’m planning on marrying the guy. I’m just talking about having some fun with him tonight, that’s all.”

  “Well, if you’re sure,” Aria said.

  “I’m sure,” Raven said firmly before Aria could announce they should all stay.

  Raven knew if they all stayed, she would feel guilty for leaving with Jagger and that was the whole reason she wanted to stay. So that she could leave with Jagger.

  Aria seemed to accept Raven’s words and the girls hugged her goodbye and headed out of the bar.

  “You’re not joining them?” Jagger said.

  Raven smiled and shook her head.

  “No. I thought the company here might be better than the company in the club,” she said.

  Jagger smiled.

  “Well, that much we can agree on,” he said. “But if we’re not going on to the club, then at least let me have one dance here.”

  “You want to dance here?” Raven said, shaking her head and laughing.

  “Sure,” Jagger said. “Look. Other people are doing it.”

  “Other people who are a lot drunker than I am,” Raven pointed out.

  “So, pretend you’re as drunk as them,” Jagger grinned. “Come on. I dare you to do it.”

  Raven laughed.

  “Okay, you win. I’m not one to turn down a dare,” she said.

  They got up and Jagger led Raven out to the middle of the bar where the floor was clear of tables and people were starting to dance. Raven watched him as he led her to a space in the middle of the small crowd. He was lean but muscular—toned, Raven thought the right word would be. She watched his firm ass in his jeans as he walked and she found herself smiling as she imagined herself grabbing it, digging her nails into it as Jagger penetrated her.

  Jagger found them a space and when he turned to face Raven, she took in the front of his body. Nice pecs, not too big, but big enough to be defined. She thought it was likely he would have a great six-pack beneath those pecs too. She smiled at him as she took in his face. He had beautiful, dark brown eyes and dark brown hair too and his smile was just the right balance of cute and confident. Every time Jagger smiled at Raven, it made her want to reach out and touch him, pull his face down to hers and kiss him hard on the mouth.

  Raven started to move to the music, taking Jagger’s joking advice from earlier and pretending to be drunker than she was. She swayed and raised her arms, letting the music guide her movements and she soon realized that she didn’t care anymore whether the other people in the bar thought she was drunk or not. She was having fun and that was all that mattered and if other people judged her for that, then it said more about them than it did about her.

  Raven moved closer to Jagger as she danced and he reached out and put his hand on her hip. She felt electric pulses flowing through her skin where he touched her and she felt her body respond to him as he put his other hand on her other hip and pulled her close against him, his hips swaying side to side.

  She lowered her arms, putting the palms of her hands on Jagger’s chest. She felt the electrical sparks thrumming through her again as she made contact with him. He leaned down, his face moving closer to hers, and she turned her face up toward him.

  Jagger’s lips brushed Raven’s and she felt her breath catch in her throat as her skin tingled. She moved her hands up his chest, over his shoulders, and up his neck. She pushed her hands into his hair and brought his face down to hers again. This time when Jagger’s lips touched hers, they didn’t just brush against them. They pressed tightly against her lips.

  Jagger’s hands moved from Raven’s hips, sliding over her ass and holding her in place against him. She felt Jagger’s tongue slipping into her mouth and she massaged it with her own.

  Finally, they broke apart and Raven found herself panting for air as she looked into Jagger’s brown eyes. She was aware of where they were, of the fact that they had an audience, and she was also aware that she wanted Jagger more than anything. She didn’t know how much longer she was going to be able to stop herself from jumping on Jagger and fucking the life out of him. They had to get out of here, out of the bar and back to her place where they could be alone and do whatever they wanted to do without the fear of going too far beneath the stares of prying eyes.

  “Do you want to come back to my place?” Raven said in a breathy, lust-filled voice that she knew would tell Jagger exactly why she wanted him to come home with her.

  She had never been one to hold back or to beat around the bush. When she wanted something, she went for it, and in that moment, she wanted Jagger more than she had ever wanted anyone. He smiled and nodded his head.

  “I’d love to,” he said.

  He turned and took Raven’s hand and then he led her off the makeshift dance floor and back to their table where they collected their things and drained the last of their drinks without even bothering to sit back down.

  When their drinks were finished, Jagger took Raven’s hand again and led her out of the bar. She stepped out into the dark street, feeling the chill of the night air. Her legs were warm enough in her skin-tight black jeans, but her lacy top let the breeze caress her skin all over. She only lived fifteen minutes or so from the bar, but she had no intention of waiting that long, especially in the cold, and she waved her hand, signaling to a passing cab.

  The cab pulled up to the curb and they got in. Raven gave the cab driver her address and sat back to
wait for them to arrive. Jagger sat close to her, so close she could feel the heat coming off his body and she could hardly wait to get him back to her place, to get him naked and inside of her. She had to bite down on her lip to stop herself from moaning out loud as raw desire flooded through her body. She barely dared to look at Jagger, afraid that she wouldn’t be able to control her impulses if she looked at him for too long.

  After what felt like an age, but had been barely five minutes, the cab pulled up outside of Raven’s place. She started to open her handbag to look for her money, but Jagger beat her to it and paid the cab driver. They got out of the cab and headed up Raven’s garden path.

  Her garden was small but tidy, much like her house. It wasn’t anything showy, but it was clean and it was home. Raven unlocked the front door, having dug her keys out while she was looking for the money for the cab fare. She stepped inside and held the door open for Jagger and then she closed and locked the door behind them.

  She could feel her heart racing, her breath catching in her throat. She stayed facing the door for a moment while she tried to collect herself. She wanted to take Jagger straight up the stairs, but she was suddenly worried that would be too forward. She swallowed hard and turned from the door. Jagger was standing barely an inch behind her and as she turned, he wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her full on the mouth. It was all the answer Raven needed as to whether or not taking Jagger up the stairs without even pretending to offer him a drink first was too forward.

  She let him kiss her, her hands roaming over his body beneath his shirt. She pulled back after a moment and took Jagger’s hand in hers. Without a word, she led him up the stairs and to her bedroom. Jagger followed her willingly, stopping only once they were in Raven’s bedroom.

  He spun her around, pulling her back against him, kissing her hungrily. She began to undo the buttons on his shirt and when they were open, she pushed it down his arms. He released his grip on her long enough for the shirt to drop to the ground and then he was pulling her top over her head, breaking their kiss and exposing her black silk bra.